Comments on: Top 10 Boneheaded Parenting Trends From the Left

By: vladdy

vladdy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:36:21 +0000

And NOW….just imagine being a teacher, particularly one who went back to school in mid-life to do this as a second career. She attempts to have effective classroom management, to set up boundaries, and to give both positve recognition and negative consequences. Woh–time for a major shock. Not only is this frowned upon, it is not allowed, and any attempts to run a classroom where learning is structured is met with bad evals or a suggestion that perhaps teaching is not the career for you! Took me awhile to figure out the problem. The administrators always side with the parents, who are raising their kids as written about in this article. I finally figured the best thing would be to open my own private day-care/pre-school where I make the rules. Parents, if you don't already know, public schools are done for. No matter how well you raise your kids, they're in with 25 others who are me-me-me types, and led by administrators who will not let teachers upset parents OR kids.
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By: DebinFla

DebinFla — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:08:06 +0000

You are SO right! Bill Gates is not the one who buys the video game then uses it to babysit their children. Kids aren't outside partly due to many areas not being as safe as they used to be, not all kids have safe yards but mostly it's parents who decide if their child is a couch potato or not. If more parents actually PARENTED, learned that discipline is not harmful but helpful, stopped thinking and telling said child that they are the center of the universe, bought every toy on the market, taught manners, morals, respect for others and mostly just spent time with them, well, I think we wouldn't be hearing some parents saying things like, "I didn't know they had those guns/drugs/porn in their room" or "I don't know who their friends are" or "I don't know why he/she acts like that"……etc, etc

By: 4salcia

4salcia — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:17:52 +0000

I agree that nine out of your ten "bad parenting trends" are actually not good things (though I think very few people actually go to the extremes you describe). But I absolutely 110% disagree with your take on corporal punishment. I can't tell my kids it's wrong to hit others and then go ahead and hit them. The message in that is, "It's okay to hit people only if you're bigger, stronger, and more powerful than they are". It can also lead children to accept abuse in the future, because they've been taught it's okay to be hit "if I deserve it". Believe me, a child doesn't distinguish between "spanking" and "abuse" – they know that hitting is hitting is hitting.

By: Wanda_Fucan

Wanda_Fucan — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:43:46 +0000

I sort of like the idea of children being social eunuchs – if by eunuchs you mean they have been cut off from all the societal behaviors that kids in groups some times harshly teach one another. There is plenty of time to develop the rude, nasty, hate-mongering bully in you. My in-laws raised their two children on a boat. They sailed around the world exposing their children to different children, different cultures (and varying amounts of poverty, wealth, social morays…) and you know what, they turned out to be thoughtful, interesting, kind children. Was it because they were not exposed to the hard knock life of childhood mob rule? Were not told every day by other children that they were ugly or stupid or to be excluded? I think that played a big role. They could not do jumping jacks well and had no concept of basketball, but miraculously, they were able to pick it up. If I had to do it over again I would get my kids out of diapers and then set sail toward the sunset.

By: Wanda_Fucan

Wanda_Fucan — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:32:47 +0000

Wait. Are you equating Bill Gates with a child molester?

ps – there are not more child molesters per capita now than there were 40 or 50 years ago. They just get lots of press and not a heck of a lot of punishment.

If you want your kid to go outside and play but fear for their safety, have them play in the yard and keep your eye on them. That is what I did when my children were young. Of course it would have been easier on me to let them sit indoors and play pong, but sometimes you have to actually do what is best for kids instead of making excuses and then later claim to have done your best. Two very different things.

By: Taneras

Taneras — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:30:12 +0000

So you've created a list of 10 strawman arguments, awesome.

By: RhondaRobinson

RhondaRobinson — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 22:08:19 +0000

"Political leanings do not place you in a good, bad, weak, strong, weird or traditional parenting category; a strong base and love for your children do. Just because some people from the left MAY have come up with some of these ideas doesn't mean it is a "leftist" idea or a "leftist" way of parenting. From one mom who cares to another."

You're right. And I couldn't agree with you more that there are good and bad parents on both ends of the political spectrum. It's not my intent to label people- but ideas.

Parenting, is by its nature the passing down to the next generation your core beliefs.

By: jcahoon

jcahoon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:17:07 +0000

Two people who I am quite fond of are pregnant right now, both republicans, and I am so excited because I know these children will be blessed with absolutely amazing parents. I also know super crappy republican parents and bad dems as well. Political leanings do not place you in a good, bad, weak, strong, weird or traditional parenting category; a strong base and love for your children do. Just because some people from the left MAY have come up with some of these ideas doesn't mean it is a "leftist" idea or a "leftist" way of parenting. From one mom who cares to another.

By: jcahoon

jcahoon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:16:59 +0000

This is a wonderful answer. It is just unfair to label this "leftist". There are people on the left who say things or do things that I certainly don't agree with. From what I can see, from all of the parents I know, is their political ideology hardly shapes them into a certain type of parent. Some of the best parents I know, like my own are Dems, that have the strongest family values, instilled a fantastic work ethic in me and raised me to be polite, kind and also tough. Many other lefty parents have done this. By the same token I have also found amazing parents on the right.

By: RhondaRobinson

RhondaRobinson — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:09:17 +0000

I come from a long line of proud Democrats. In fact, that is where I got my work ethic and my family values. In one respect, you are absolutely right, it would be foolish to say there is a Republican way of raising children and then there is the way the Democrats do it.

However, out of the 1960s and 70s came a profound rebellion against anything that resembled traditional Western parenting. Clinical psychology and social politics became comfortable bedfellows. The result was a new parenting ethic. The idea that traditional marriage was bad for women, and viewed the traditional family as nothing more than the perpetuation of a patriarchal society-these views impact the way we raise our children. Over the years, they have shaped our ideas about society, and most certainly how we raise our children.

By: jcahoon

jcahoon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:24:41 +0000

For the most part I see people with a lot of money doing this and for the most part they are republican. Now I certainly would never right an article about it or say that it is a rebublican thing or it's all republicans doing this because that would be crazy. Most people on the left go to church. You know what I'm not going on. This article is just completely unfounded and this is a waste of my time. I will say however that I do not believe in corporal punishment, so you got me there. My point was why do we keep grouping and dividing. We all basically want the same things. We should all work together and celebrate of country and our blessings instead of finding things to group us and drive us apart. Parenting and children should be at the top of this.

By: jcahoon

jcahoon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:24:26 +0000

Are you serious? I could easily do that. My point was that you should not politicize parenting. There is no "right" way and "left" way to raise children and you certainly can't group parenting styles one way or another into broad categories. I can't believe I would take the time to do this but here it goes.
I know absolutely no one who practices elimination communication. That is not coming from the left. All of the parents I know are not their child's BFF. I am a parent and that always comes first. With my parents it was always that way. It is that way with most parents of either side of the aisle I know. It is not a trend that comes from the left. Teacup parenting is something I see from both sides and also don't see at all. Parents worry but I don't see this again as coming from a political viewpoint. This is all crazy. Seriously YOU CAN'T POLITICIZE PARENTING. Oh here is my favorite though. The section with Paris Hilton at the top. Her parents are republicans. Its is public record. So nice point there.